Railway and depot



(NoModeL) 4 sheets-sheet 1. H. G. REW.

RAILWAY AND DEPOT.

Patented Sept. 5, 188.2

(No Model.) r 4 Shets-Sheei; 2.

H. G. RBW.

RAILWAY AND DEPOT. No. 268,959. Patented Sept. 5, 1882.

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N, PETERS, PhoXc-Lilhngnplmn Washmgion. n. C,

(No Model.) QShets-Sheet s. H. 0. REW.

RAILWAY ,AND DEPOT.

Patented Sept. 5., 1882.

Wifieases,

(No Model.)

No. 263,959r

iW'ZZles-ge-s 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. H. G. REW.

RAILWAY AND DEPOT.

Patented Sept. 5, 1882.

9555 1555 HEHHEEE HEB UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. HEW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY AIND DIEPOT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,959, dated September 5, 1882 Application filed February 10. 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY 0. Raw, of Chicago, in the county of (look and State of 111inois, have invented certain new and useful Imbeing had to the'accompanying drawings, and

to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in railroad-depots and systems of arranging the tracks in connection therewith; and it hasfor its object to economize room by combining with a terminal depot constructed with several stories and a series of elevated tracks,in addition to the surface-tracks enter= ing said depot, (those portions of the depot and station structnresnot occupied by the tracks being utilized for stores, rooms, ofifices, and other like purposes,) a central or union depot or depots, the upper story of which is em ployed for astation, and connecting 'by means of elevated tracks with the various terminal depots of the city and roads entering the city, the lower story or stories of said central depot being either open or inclosed and utilized for stores, offices, and other indoor purposes, whereby the trains entering or passing through the city may be brought to the central part of a city, or to such union depot or depots, without interfering with the street traffic, whereby the value of the property occupied by the depot is greatly enhanced and trains are enabled to pass from road to road directly through the city-without delay or inconvenience, thus doing away with the labor, expense, and loss of time required to transfer passengers, baggage, and freight through a city by means of omnibnses, carriages, wagons, trucks, and other vehicles. These objects I attain by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a portion of a depot and system of tracks constructed and arranged according to myinvention; Fig. 2, a plan viewof the second or passenger-depot floor; Fig. 3, a plan view of the first or freight-depot floor; Fig. 4, a side view of the depot structures; Fig. 5, a plan .view of a third floor of the depot, showing thearrangement of the rails; and Fig. 6, a plan view of the depottand the structures in the neighborhood thereof. Fig. 7 represents a plan view of a central or union depot and the tracks leading therefrom and thereto from and 'to the various depots of a city and railways entering the city, both depot and tracks being built on an elevated plane. Fig. 8 represents the side elevation of such depot and tracks.

The letter A indicates the depot building, which in the present instance is constructed with two principal floors, B and O.

The letter D indicates the surface-track or seriesof tracks which enters the central compartnient, E, of the first floor, the said track or tracks being for freight or other heavilyweighted cars.

The letter F indicates an elevated or series of elevated tracks entering the second story of the building. These tracks, as well as the second floor, are supported by means of posts or columns G, in order to render the track and floor secure. The tracks F are intended for passenger-trains, and are laid with intervening spaces, H, to afford proper landings for the passengers. 7

The lower floor, at one side of the central division, is provided with a series of storerooms, I,which may be arranged in two stories, as indicated, and at the other side with afreigh troom, K.

Access from the first to the second floors of the depot proper may be had by means of thecentral stairway, L, and the unoccupied spaces at each side of the stairway may be utilized for office rooms or other purposes. The second story of store-rooms may be likewise reached by means of suitable stairways or otherwise.

The portions of the ground adjacent the main depot may be occupied by buildings M, through which the tracks pass, the said buildings serving to support the elevated tracks, the portions at each side being utilized for stores and lodging-rooms, or for other purposes, the elevated tracks being carried across the intermediate streets by means of suitable bridges, T.

The third floor, when such is employed ,may have the tracks arranged as indicated in Fig. 5, the tracks diverging as they enter from the opposite building. In this case access maybe had to said floor by means of stairways P or elevators R.- In some instances a similar arrangement of stairways and elevators may be employed to lead to the second depot floor, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings show a central union depot consisting of a series of buildings, A, covering one, two, or more blocks, having their upper stories (and across the streets, if necessary) connected by means of bridges, the whole number of squares employed being inclosed under one or more roofs. Thetracks are gradually elevated to the height of the said upper stories at the outskirts of the city, or at or near the depots N, which are located at the terminus of the roads entering the city, and pass through the city on an elevated plane to and from and through the union depot, over the lower stories, and across the streets by means of the bridges, the depot being provided with a system of switchtracks at N by means of which trains maybe transferred from road to road as required.

The bridges, it will be perceived, span the streets above the roadways, so thattrains passing through the depot and city' cannot interfere with the traflic in the streets.

It will be further evident that trains from all quarters and any direction may, by means of my invention, find their termini and connect with other roads in the heart of the city, not only without interfering with the business of the city, but greatly augmenting it, as it enables passengers to proceed directly to the business portions without delay. The trains, also, can run inand out at full speed without delay at the street-crossings, and Without the necessity of running slowly through the city.

The tracks-of the roads entering from the outskirts of the city may be extended directly through the union depot, so as to permit the trains of the various co'mpa'nies'to utilize the union depot, and then run directly to their own depot forthe convenience of local traffic in cases where the terminal depot happens to be more favorably located for that purpose.

As thus constructed it will be perceived that the depot may be located in the busy portions of a city in a comparatively limited space, and allparts of the buildingand neighboring structures utilized. Moreover, the streets will be relieved of a great portion of the railroad traffic, as they will be devoted wholly to freight and other heavy work, while the lighter trains will utilize the elevated tracks.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1S i 1. The central or union depot built upon an elevated plan, with elevated tracks, with or without surface -tracks constructed on the ground floor, below the elevated tracks, said depot covering one or more blocks or squares, said blocks or squaresbeing connected by suitable bridges or connectionsspanningthe streets above the roadways, and covered by one roof or a system of roots, the said depot being connected by elevated tracks with the local railway-depots of a city, substantiallyas specified.

2. The central or union depot, covering one or more blocks or squares, the street separating any two being spanned by bridges above the roadways, all being covered by one roof or system of roofs, and havingsuitable tracks and switches, and connected by means of elevated tracks with the various local depots of a city and roads entering the city, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 24th day of J anuary, 1882.

' HENRY (J. REW. Witnesses:

CHAS. W. ANDREWS, J r., MAR IN J. VAUGHN. 

